Half to frederick ernst august stauff



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. W. BRENIZER. I

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(No Model.) 3Sheets-Sh eet 2.

- O. W. BRENIZER.

RAILWAY SWITGH. No. 483,975. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

QRTMMZ gmuewtoz (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

0. W. BRENIZER.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

' N 433.975- Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

Ililii ill-Jill -WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIflemu I IIIIIH i v UNITED STATESPATENT I Orricn.

-ORSON WVILLBERT BRENIZER, OF DULU'III,==MINNESO'IA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK ERNST AUGUST STAUFF, ZERAH D. GOODELL, AND THOMAS H.PRESSNELL, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,975, dated August12, 1890.

Application filed August 31, I889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ORSON WILLBERT BREN- IZER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and StateofMinnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements inRailway-Switches, of which the following is a specification;

I haveimproved the railway-switch in which provision is made foroperating the switch automatically by the passing train so as to preventthe latter from running oil": the track from a misplaced switch and inrendering the train safe in passing the switch from diiferent directionsand from diiferent tracks.

. The accompanying drawings illustrate my improvements in connectionwith a single side track, as I will now describe, and at the conclusionof such description I will specifically point out the features claimedas my improvement.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a top view of so much ofa railway bed and track as illustrates my improved switch operating andlockin g connections, the switch being shown as closed with the maintrack. Fig. .2 is a similar view showing the switch as being closedwiththe side track. Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the lever devices showndepressed and a piece of the rail to which it is attached, and by whichdevice the switch is changed by the action of the wheels of thelocomotive of the passing train; and Fig. 4 is a similar view, the leverdevice being shown raised. Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing theslides arranged between the ends of the fixed rails at the switch-pointsfor crossing such points and locking the switch when set for either themain or side track. Fig. 6 is a top view of the-switch-locking slidesand their operating-plate. Fig. 7 is a detail of the hand-leverswitch-operating device.

A A are portions of the rails of the main track. 13 B are portions ofthe rails of the side track. 0 G are the switch-rails, and D is the barwhich connects their free ends and by which the switch is shifted.

To the inner side of one of the rails of the main track and one of therails of the side track and in opposite relation to each other SerialNo. 322,534. (No model.)

are pivoted a pair of levers E and E, prefer- 5o ably of bell-crankform, and to the upper ends of the short arms 2 of each set on eachrailwhich stand toward the switch is pivoted a bar F and F, so that itsrising and falling movements will be parallel to the surface of the saidrail. The long arms 6 of each pair of these bell-crank levers standdownward, and are connected at their lower ends to a rod G, whichextends forward by the side of each rail to the cross-tie H at thejunction of the railwith the switch. Upon this junction cross-tie arefirmly secured two bell-crank levers I I, one end of each beingconnected to the switch-shifting bar D, and the other end of eachbell-crank lever being connected to the rods G and G of the saidrail-levers, so

that when the switch is shifted one of the said rods will be movedbackward from the switch-junction and depress its lever-connected bar Fflush with the rail of the side track by a pushing action upon therail-levers. The bar F, by this action, is simultaneously raised abovethe surface of the rail of the main track by the pulling action of theconnecting-rod G upon the rail-lever of said bar. The end of therail-bar which stands away from the switch-junction is beveled, so as toreceive the action of the wheels of the locomotive, and thereby depressit and instantly shift the switch to the proper track. It will benoticed that the ends of the rods G G which connect with theswitchconnecting bell-crank levers I I are form ed with cranked ends gg, the purpose of which I will now state.

As a means for locking the switch-bars and holding them securely intheir position during the passing of the train, I provide lockingslidersL L, placed between the ends of the rails of the main and side tracks attheir junction with the sWith-rails, so as to be confined and permittedto slide freely between the said main and side rails and to be projectedout across the joint of the switch-rails with the main and side railsand to be retracted free of said joint by means which I' will nowdescribe. By the side of the j unction cross-tie a plate J is centrallypivoted and extends at each end under the ends of the main and siderails, and has a pivotal connection with the said locking-slides by pinsJ, which extend through cross-slots s s in the said locking-slides. Atthe angles of the cranks of the said rods G G there is a connection 1'with the said pivoted plate, so that the movement of the rods mustvibrate the plate upon its central pivot and move the locking-slides inposition across the switchjoint at one side and retract the other slidefrom said joint at the other side of the track, according to theposition of the switch, and thus form a bar to the movement of theswitch during the passing of the train. It will be seen that the platehas a slot at at its pivotal connection and slots 1) b at its connection7" with the rods G G, and that the locking-slides are also formed withslots 8 s, and this is to give perfect freedom from binding in themovements of any of the connected parts. The relation of the severalparts, their arrangement, and connections are such that one of theselocking-slides will be projected across the joint of the rails at oneside of the track in whatever position the switch may be shifted, andthat upon the movement of the switch the said locking-slide will beinstantly retracted from its position across the joint back between therails which confine it and which form the ways upon which it is free toslide. The switch is provided with stops t u at the junction cross-tiewhereby to limit its movement. The switch may be operated by the usualhand-lever under the control of the switch-tender. I

It is obvious that the switch and the locking-slides are eifective intheir operation by operating the switch by hand, and the rods and theirconnected rail-lever bars may be dispensed with when the automaticconnections are not desired; but I prefer to use the switch operatingand locking devices together, as shown, because their connection is suchas to render them simultaneously operative, and in which the movement ofone is controlled by the movement of the other.

In Fig. 1 the slide L is shown in position to lock the switch with themain track, and the slide L is shown out of locking position, while inFig. 2 this position of the 1ocking-slide is reversed, and the switch isshown in locked position with the side rails.

I claim as my improvement 1. In a self-acting railway-switch, thecombination of the rail-levers E E, their connected bars F F, the rods GG, the cross-tie bell-crank levers I I, the pivot-ed plate J, thelocking-slides L L, and the switch, substantially as described.

2. In arailway-switch,the combination,with the switch and means foroperating it, of the pivoted plate J, locking-slides connected to theends thereof, the bell-crank levers I I, and the crank-arms g 9,connecting the said bell-crank levers and the said pivoted plate,substantially as described.

3. 'A railway-switch-locking device consisting of the pivoted plate J,the locking-slides L L, pivotally connected to each end of the latter,the crank-arms g g, connected to said plate, and the bell-crank leversconnecting the latter with the switch-shifting bar, the said plate Jhaving the slots at b b, and the said locking-slides having thecross-slots s s, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ORSON WVILLBERT BRENIZER.

